Retired

MARVELS: Streets of New York

<Snipped quote by Ezekiel>

First time I ever joined one of these games many many moons ago, I applied as Iron Man and ran straight into someone elses events.

I was a Rookie then.

@Sep

That's usually the trend with newer players. But that's something this game will help with through events. And these events will be much more frequent and, hopefully, run smoother than previous attempts. Look forward to a lot of crossover opportunities.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

<Snipped quote by AndyC>

My guy you realize there has been more 'you can't play that' even when someone is actively trying to make the character fit (as we've been told we can!!!) in here from you and Retired than there is actual positivity and engagement-encouragement about the game you're trying to launch?

<Snipped quote by AndyC>

This no longer feels like 'here's a suggestion of characters you could play and a ballpark to aim for' and is now crystallizing into 'here are the sheets you can app. everything else is a flat no.'

@Roman

The reason for the abundance of "you can't play that" comments is very simple. There seems to have been, at some point by some people, a fundamental misunderstanding of what this game is. As a result of that misunderstanding, there have been comments and questions here about characters that are far and beyond the capacity of this game. We are required to address those so people aren't under the impression those sorts of concepts have a chance of being accepted.

The opening post of this interest check, I thought, was clear about the extent of this game and the types of character concepts that would fit. We explicitly ruled out some things, and, through narrative language, tried to guide people to other things. This game, at its core, is a street level focus of heroes versus organized crime. The little intro blurb to the setting I wrote and was included in the opener regarding the boroughs was entirely focused on that aspect.

Yes, there are limits for this game. Yes, those limits are much more severe than in past comic games members of the community may be used to. That is because the setting and narrative scope of this game is limited, narrow, and focused. This is not an Ultimate/Absolute/All-Star/One Universe game that allows for boundless levels of creativity regarding rewrites and out-of-the-box concepts. I am very confident that a game of that type will crop up sometime again in the future.

Limited-scope roleplays exist in abundance on this forum. They have for many, many years. An individual wouldn't go to a slice-of-life RP about a regular boarding school and attempt to apply with a talking dog who can read minds. That kind of concept can exist in some kind of slice-of-life game somewhere, but not that one that is of a limited scope.

Likewise, this game is about explicitly street level vigilantes taking on the rampant organized crime within NYC. The fantastic can exist, yes, but at its core characters need to fit within that scope. Announcing an attempt to apply with a near god-level character is not within that scope. The same goes for characters who would have no feasible interest in organized crime. Yes, those characters may have a canon history of street-level excursions, but if those excursions don't deal with organized crime or the characters are nigh-undefeatable by said organized crime then they inherently don't fit within the scope.

I understand that many of us who have participated in these comic games over the years have character concepts we never finished and wished we could continue. Stories and arcs we planned for and are itching to finally produce. I relate with that very well. However, for the vast majority of those concepts, this is not the game to try and recreate them. It's just not, as much as that might suck to hear. I'm not recreating my Fantastic Four despite them being NY heroes. Andy isn't running Wolverine despite him having history with organized crime. Those are concepts we may wish we could relive, but those concepts would be beyond the scope of this game.

The goal of this game is to tell street-level stories of vigilantes facing organized crime, encountering the expected costumed villains within that purview, and collaborating on events that are explicitly street-level in nature. By allowing characters that can either solo those events, will never be challenged by those events, or whom would have no reason to engage in those events, we would be violating the entire goal of the game.

There have only been a couple explicit nos given here. Most of the answers given to questions about potentially out-of-scope character concepts have been more along the lines of "I have concerns that this would work for x, y, or z reason, but I welcome a character sheet that proves me wrong." If this rubs you the wrong way, that is fine, but it will not change what this game is meant to be.

As for the list of characters Andy provided, that isn't him saying "you can only run these characters." That's him saying "these are the kinds of characters that are within the scope of this game, use them as a reference point if you're unsure your concept fits."

If you or anyone else finds the scope of this game too limiting, that is perfectly fair and valid. You are free to feel that way. All that means is that this game may not be for you and that the next one that comes around might be. If that's the case, I'm sorry for any misunderstandings regarding the extent of this RP and I wish you luck in finding a game that best fits what you're seeking.

For everyone else, I'll see you in the OOC on Friday.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

I'm not opposed to it, but like Andy said, you'd need to specifically address Blade's vigilantism extending beyond vamps. The primary conceit of this game will be events focused on organized crime, and we're looking for characters that can smoothly integrate with that narrative.

But there's nothing saying that there isn't a vampire crime lord in the city who has alliances with human crime lords that would necessitate Blade getting involved. So long as you can find something canon supporting such a premise.

Bottom line is, borderline characters like that are going to need a strong sheet.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

I'll throw down my interest! Maybe I'll finish a sheet before the rp ends this time.

@Ezekiel

You think the RP is ending? Nah, you're all conscripted for eternity.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

As far as I know, there's minimal to no competition for Punisher so far. Of course, there's always going to be apps that come in without anyone having hinted at it beforehand. There will be the usual waiting period before acceptance, though, to allow for competition.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

That being said, please, prove me wrong. If a character sheet is submitted that defies my preconceived notions and demonstrates that Ghost Rider, or any character that has been said to be beyond scope, can in fact exist within this game, I will happily vote for it.

There is always the chance that what I, or any GM, is imagining when a character is mentioned is not at all what the concept turns out to be. When I think of Zarathos and Ghost Rider, for instance, I think of an entity that is powerful enough that nothing within the narrative of this game can meaningfully challenge them. If that isn't the case, if a character sheet is presented that skirts my limited thinking, then that's what will matter in the end.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

I'm just going to go ahead and say, without even consulting with my apparently cocksharing GMs, that Ghost Rider is definitely far beyond the scope of this game. Nico Minoru, though, I think would entirely depend on the sheet itself. There are aspects of her Runaways history that can definitely be more grounded depending on the avenue taken, though the Staff of One, without limitations in place, is definitely capable of being an aforementioned deus ex magica.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

What degrees of the supernatural are acceptable, and how much leeway in rewriting backstories are we granted?

@Roman

I'll also add onto what Andy said. When we conceptualized this game, we took into account supernatural aspects as certain street level characters are mystical in nature, and we wanted to be able to accommodate that. So long as the concept is inherently street level, as in dealing with city-wide concerns and not reality-ending threats, and the character can feasibly interact with the gang war storyline the narrative will follow without easily solving every issue through deus ex magica, it should be within the scope of the game.

Basically, there's about two dozen supernatural crime fighters in Marvel's NYC that I can name off the top of my head, all of whom are street level, so as long as the character is roughly comparable to them I see no issues.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

<Snipped quote by Master Bruce>

@Sep

This isn't a One Universe game. No Guy Gardner allowed.

MARVELS: Streets of New York

In general, because this is such a game localized in one city, you should expect that others might apply for legacy characters and take that into consideration when writing your own apps. So if someone applies for Peter, that person probably shouldn't also be coming up with ideas for Miles, Cindy, Ben, whatever. Odds are they might become a PC.

<Snipped quote by AndyC>

Y'know, you say that...

Its a concept I was toying with for another Ultimate game buttt...hm. I'll think on it.

@Supermaxx

An adult Peter in a stable relationship is exactly what I imagined for this game when the GM team began brewing it. It's one of many reasons why I like setting this in a world that is already established.

So, by all means...